PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Billy O Brien (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Aziz Shavershian (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Shavershian has chosen John O'callaghan - Zyzz Version V2, - Find Yourself feat. Sarah Howells (Re as his entrance music. Man, I cannot wait for this one!

O Brien
vs
Shavershian

182 cm
20
185 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

188 cm
20
195 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Billy O Brien!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Aziz Shavershian!
The judges for this bout are Hugh Johnson, Eliza Hachem and Donatello Bradman.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
O Brien slips a jab and a cross from Shavershian.
A big left from O Brien misses.
O Brien tries to bum rush Shavershian with a series of wild strikes but Shavershian uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Shavershian blocks a low kick nicely.
Shavershian does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Shavershian scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Shavershian tries to land a front kick but O Brien steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
O Brien lands a body shot.
O Brien does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
O Brien misses with a head kick.
Shavershian looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
O Brien throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Shavershian.
Shavershian takes one on the button.
O Brien misses with the combination.
Shavershian tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but O Brien was well out of range. Poor timing from Shavershian.

That's one minute gone in the round.
O Brien blocks a low kick nicely.
O Brien scores with a nice strike.
Billy O Brien seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
O Brien throws a solid leg kick but Shavershian takes the impact on his shin and smiles at O Brien.
O Brien misses with a few strikes there.
O Brien looks to land a combination but Shavershian avoids it well.
Good shot there by Shavershian.
O Brien pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Shavershian takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Shavershian misses with a low kick.
Shavershian punishes O Brien's body with a nice straight punch.
A telegraphed right hand from Shavershian misses the target.
O Brien takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
This has been an exciting period of action!
O Brien motions for Shavershian to come forward. O Brien throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Shavershian throws a body punch but O Brien moves out of range.
Shavershian scores with a nice head shot.
Shavershian avoids the head kick by O Brien.
Nice defenses there by Shavershian.
O Brien throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
O Brien is looking to land body kicks.
Shavershian throws a series of strikes that have O Brien backpedaling.

Shavershian moves into the clinch.
O Brien misses with a hook to the ribs.
Shavershian lands an elbow that stopped O Brien in his tracks for a moment.
O Brien is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Shavershian to keep the fight standing.
O Brien misses with some punches.
Shavershian misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from O Brien.
O Brien avoids a wild elbow strike from Shavershian.
A short uppercut from Shavershian.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Shavershian dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Shavershian comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Shavershian takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Shavershian lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of O Brien backwards.
Shavershian misses with a body punch.
Shavershian misses with an elbow over the top.
Shavershian swings wildly with an uppercut but O Brien uses good head movement to avoid it.
Shavershian is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but O Brien is keeping busy.
O Brien tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
A head punch on the inside from O Brien fails to land.
O Brien is trying to pull guard but Shavershian turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
O Brien has had enough of the clinch but Shavershian keeps him there for the moment.
Shavershian is struggling to control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Shavershian is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. O Brien is defending well for now.
Shavershian scores a nice knee to the body.
Shavershian lands a body punch.
Shavershian creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through O Brien's defenses.

It looks like Billy O Brien has been cut.
O Brien is trying to push Shavershian away but Shavershian has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Shavershian has O Brien pressed against the cage, preventing O Brien from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Shavershian pushes off an throws an elbow but O Brien leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Shavershian.
Shavershian scores with an uppercut up the middle.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

O Brien breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Shavershian fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with O Brien, pushing him back against the cage.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

O Brien breaks from the clinch.
Shavershian slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
O Brien scores with a nice head shot.
Aziz Shavershian is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
A punch combination from O Brien misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Aziz Shavershian will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Billy O Brien's cut.
That's time! O Brien's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

O Brien fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Shavershian cracks the inside of O Brien's front leg.
Shavershian smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Shavershian fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches O Brien on the side of the head.
O Brien misses with a leg kick
and Shavershian counters with a stiff right hand.
Shavershian throws a jab but it's blocked by O Brien.
O Brien throws a leg kick but Shavershian checks it.
A combination from O Brien does no damage.
O Brien closes this distance looking for a takedown but Shavershian circles away.
O Brien missing with a left hand there. Shavershian was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
No luck with that takedown attempt from O Brien.
Shavershian tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Crunch! Shavershian slams his shin into O Brien's torso.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shavershian is looking to slow O Brien down with leg kicks.
Shavershian connects with a jab.
Shavershian connects with a solid leg kick.
Shavershian walks into a left hand.
O Brien lands a head kick!
O Brien throws a one two combo.
O Brien cracks Shavershian with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
O Brien lands with a good body shot.
Shavershian listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.

O Brien gets tackled into the cage by Shavershian. Shavershian maintains the clinch.
O Brien wants to break free but Shavershian has control.
Shavershian lands with a right to the head.
Shavershian lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of O Brien backwards.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
O Brien tries to pull guard but Shavershian won't allow it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Billy O Brien. That's going to take a lot out of him.
O Brien works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
O Brien avoids the elbow strike from Shavershian, against the cage.
O Brien tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Shavershian creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Shavershian lands a nice shot to the body.
O Brien has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
O Brien is trying to force a seperation but Shavershian has the dominant position.

O Brien pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
O Brien shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Shavershian with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Shavershian throws a leg kick but O Brien sees it coming and moves out of range.
O Brien is looking to land body kicks.
Shavershian blocks a head kick by O Brien.
Shavershian misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from O Brien.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Good work by Shavershian as he checks the leg kick.
Shavershian fails with an attempt to clinch.
Shavershian throws a leg kick but O Brien sees it coming and moves out of range.
O Brien swings and misses with a shot to the body
letting Shavershian counter with a right hand.
O Brien motions for Shavershian to come forward. O Brien throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
O Brien waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Shavershian.
Shavershian is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Shavershian throws a head kick but O Brien moves out of range.
O Brien missing with a left hand there. Shavershian was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
O Brien missing with a left hand there. Shavershian was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Shavershian looks to land a left hand but O Brien moved out of range nicely.
O Brien throws a body punch but Shavershian moves out of range.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
O Brien cracks Shavershian with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Shavershian takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Shavershian moves out of range as O Brien strikes.
O Brien throws a right hand that misses

and Shavershian counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Shavershian.
O Brien blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Shavershian doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
O Brien avoids the elbow strike from Shavershian, against the cage.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Shavershian.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Shavershian lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Shavershian creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Aziz Shavershian seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.

O Brien breaks from the clinch.
Shavershian uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from O Brien.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Shavershian is looking to clinch but O Brien is avoiding it.
A jab from O Brien does it's job there.
O Brien moves out of range of the leg kick from Shavershian.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Billy O Brien will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Billy O Brien's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

O Brien tries a head kick but it misses.
A leg kick checked by Shavershian.
O Brien changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Shavershian tries to avoid it but O Brien manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Shavershian to the ground. Shavershian escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Shavershian lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
O Brien tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Shavershian was well out of range. Poor timing from O Brien.
Shavershian jabs O Brien right on the nose. O Brien blinks but takes it well.
A low kick from Shavershian misses
and O Brien counters with an outside leg kick.
Shavershian tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. O Brien manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
O Brien throws a front kick aimed at Shavershian's knee but Shavershian avoids it well.
O Brien scores with a hook.
Shavershian lands with a cross.
Shavershian takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
O Brien misses with a head kick.
O Brien jabbing away but nothing is landing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
That kick from O Brien tenderised Shavershian's leg. Shavershian is trying to keep his angry face on.
O Brien throws the left hand but Shavershian avoids the punch easily.
Shavershian tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but O Brien was well out of range. Poor timing from Shavershian.
O Brien throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.

Shavershian rushes O Brien and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Shavershian scores with a nice hook to the head.
O Brien is trying to break the clinch but Shavershian has him pressed against the cage.
O Brien blocks an elbow strike.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Shavershian trying to land knees to the body.
Shavershian prevents O Brien from breaking the clinch.
Shavershian keeps control of O Brien as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
O Brien takes an elbow to the temple.

O Brien escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
O Brien moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Shavershian feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to O Brien's calf.
O Brien lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Shavershian connects with a jab.
O Brien throws a leg kick

and Shavershian holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
O Brien tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Shavershian lands a right hand that snaps the head of O Brien backwards.
O Brien tries a body shot but Shavershian blocks it.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Shavershian.
O Brien throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
O Brien has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Shavershian lands a damaging elbow.
O Brien tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Shavershian smiles and moves away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Billy O Brien. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Shavershian throws a body kick that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Shavershian closes the distance and clinches.

O Brien pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Shavershian is looking to slow O Brien down with leg kicks.
Shavershian is looking to clinch.
Shavershian goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
O Brien chopping away at his opponent's legs.
O Brien misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
O Brien throws a hook to the side of Shavershian's head but Shavershian sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
O Brien misses with the combination.
O Brien keeps the fight on the outside.
O Brien wants to land a leg kick but Shavershian is out of range.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Shavershian's corner calls for a 1-2. Shavershian obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Shavershian lands a glancing blow to the side of O Brien's head.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Shavershian moves away from the strike by O Brien.
Shavershian uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by O Brien.
O Brien lands a jab-cross combination.
Shavershian tries to clinch up.
A swing and a miss from Shavershian.
Shavershian takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
O Brien keeps the fight on the outside.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Shavershian steps to the side to avoid the strikes from O Brien.
O Brien takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
O Brien avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Billy O Brien.
I think O Brien has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Hugh Johnson scores the fight 29:28
Judge Eliza Hachem scores the fight 29:28
Judge Donatello Bradman scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Billy O Brien!